Ron Sexsmith – A songwriter’s songwriter

I went to see a Ron Sexsmith Concert last night. Ron is a songwriter’s songwriter. He has written with and for a great many singers and singer-songwriters. There were many of my songwriting colleagues in the audience. I thought I would try to figure out what accounts for his reputation as a consummate songwriter. Really, I did not have to be so cerebral about it.

Ron is one of those songwriters whose lyrics easily wash over you; there are no jagged edges of forced rhymes or fleeting esoteric thoughts. His lyrics, for me, are interesting since they are deep in our everyday lingo. Apparently simple, while decidedly original. Sexsmith is a master of wordplay and puns, just check out his Twitter feed. The second thing that stood out for me was the range of the melodies and musical styles. No two songs sounded alike. This may account for his quite obvious fan following, a third noticeable detail. Mr. Sexsmith spoke of his spirit animal, the Saint Bernard, a dog that may be described as friendly, approachable, smart and perhaps slightly understated.

Thank you Mr. Sexsmith for providing such a rich example of what a songwriter may be.